Commemoration of St. John of the Ladder (Climacus) (649). St. Mary of Egypt (522). St. Euthymius the Wonderworker, archimandrite, of Suzdal (1404). St. Barsanuphius of Optina Monastery (1913).
Martyrs Gerontius and Basilides (3rd c.). St. Macarius, abbot, of Pelecete (ca. 830). Martyr Abraham of the Bulgars on the Volga (1229). St. Gerontius, canonarch of the Kiev Caves (14th c.). St. Pachomius, archbishop of Roman and Galati (Moldavia) and monk of the Kiev Caves (1724).
New Hieromartyr Sergius Zavarin, archpriest, of Yaroslavl (1938). New Hiero-confessor Schema-bishop Macarius (Vasiliev), at the Pskov Caves Monastery (1944).
St. Meliton, bishop of Sardis (177). Martyr Romanus of Raqqa (Syria) (780). St. Procopius, abbot, of Sazava in Bohemia (1053). Sts. John of Shavta, bishop of Gaenati (7th c.-13th c.) and Eulogius the Prophet, fool-for-Christ (13th c.). of Georgia.
The Fourth Sunday of Lent. [ Heb. 6:13–20; Mark
9:17–31]
In His talks about blessedness, the
Lord depicts a heavenly heart (Matt. 5:1–12). It
contains: humility; weeping and contrition; meekness and
angerlessness; complete love of righteousness; perfect
mercifulness; purity of heart; love of peace and
peacemaking; suffering misfortunes, false accusations and
persecution for the sake of the Christian faith and life.
If you want heaven, be like this, and already here on
earth you will have a foretaste of heaven, into which you
will enter prepared, like a forenamed heir.